Videos: Devastation in Darfur’s Jebel Marra

A video showing the destruction and devastation at Feina village in South Darfur’s eastern Jebel Marra by government forces and militias showed completely burnt houses and the village completely abandoned after its inhabitants fled to the mountain caves for security and protection.

Fire damage at Feina village in eastern Jebel Marra (RD)

Updated 17:00 – Video showing the destruction and devastation at Feina village in South Darfur's eastern Jebel Marra by government forces and militias showed completely burnt houses and the village completely abandoned after its inhabitants fled to the mountain caves for security and protection.

A resident of the village standing at the ruins of his house, said the militias burned everything and left nothing, not even livestock.

He said that the villagers are still in the mountains caves in a very bad humanitarian situation.

Brothers Ismail and Ayoub Hussein Yahya were seriously wounded when a bomb hit their house at Sawani area in East Jebel Marra on Wednesday night.

Witnesses told Radio Dabanga that the Rapid Support Forces stationed at Libei launched several missiles on Wednesday night where shells hit the house of Hussein Yahya, wounding his sons, 12-year-old Ismail and 13-year-old Ayoub.

Witnesses said the shells also killed five sheep, four donkeys and caused panic among the residents who fled to mountains, valleys and nearby forests.

On Wednesday evening secondary school student Hasan Hajar was killed in an attack by armed men in the Khor Shingo area on a Hilux moving from Singo area of El Radoom locality to Agbash in South Darfur.

Witnesses told Radio Dabanga that four gunmen intercepted the Hilux, searched the passengers, robbed them of their possessions and money and shot dead 19 year-old student Hasan Hajar because of his resistance and refusal to hand over the mobile and cash in possession.

They explained that the incident was reported to the police unit of El Radoom locality which failed to capture the gunmen 

SLM-MM

The Sudan Liberation Movement of the leadership of Minni Minawi (SLM-MM) called the declaration made by President Omar Al Bashir on Tuesday extending the cease-fire for another three months as a false and misleading both home and international public opinion.

Yesterday the movement said in a statement that the militias are still killing civilians today in large areas of Jebel Marra, looting their property and forcing them to flee their villages.

The statement added that the same terrorist practices, bloodshed, looting and confiscation of property are taking place in Central and North Darfur.

The movement's spokesman Mohamed Hasan said in the statement that Khartoum regime took advantage of Unamid's weakness and the absence of its monitoring mechanisms, as well as handing over its headquarters to the regime, which in turn handed it over to the Rapid Support Forces to become their bases."

He said that the government exploited all these circumstances to continue its violations and then issued a declaration to extend the cessation of hostilities in order to cover these violations.

The movement called in its statement the international community to reconsider the decision to reduce the joint mission "Unamid" and not to believe Al Bashir's lies in the decision to extend the declaration of cessation of hostilities.

In its statement, the movement demanded that the international community ascertain for itself what is happening on the ground in Darfur of killing and displacement through commissions of inquiry and the visits of international officials to affected areas.

On Thursday witnesses reported the withdrawal of the Rapid Support Forces that were attacking the sites of the Sudan Liberation Movement of the leadership of Abdelwahid in southeast Jebel Marra to El Malam and Umelgura in East Jebel Marra which are the headquarters and hometown of the commander of RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan (aka Hemeti).

President Omar Al Bashir said that the three-month ceasefire he declared on Wednesday was aimed at creating a conducive climate and that hands are extended to all to stabilise the country.